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Letters to the Editor: Find new tactics to fix fare evasion

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February 5, 2019

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Letters to the Editor: Find new tactics to fix fare evasion

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Regarding “BART on quest for turnstiles that halt cheats” (Page A1, Feb. 3): Dear BART Board of Directors: As I was reading this article, I found myself musing about how similar it seems to the discussions of how a border wall with Mexico should be built.

Aside from the prospect of making BART entrances look like the entrances to prisons, replete with artificial intelligence, pressure sensors and devices that would cause great bodily injury to fare evaders, I suggest that you’re looking at the problem in quite the wrong way. Again, consider that a border wall won’t stop drugs. There is a basic engineering proposition that if the solution gets excessively complicated, you’re defining the problem in the wrong way. Solutions to social problems that rely on technology always turn out badly. And they always cost more (both in dollars and in social harmony) than you can ever begin to imagine.

Consider thinking about fare evasion differently. Think about how paying your fare can be understood as a piece of civic duty. Think of signs at the turnstiles that say nice things like “Good People Pay Their BART Fare.” Be creative. Just don’t spend more money trying to fix a problem than the problem costs.

Jack Kurzweil, Berkeley

Immigration policy

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When one child here is kidnapped, we go to pieces. When thousands of immigrant children in the U.S. are yanked from the arms of their mothers by representatives of our government, many care, but most shrug.

Regarding “Innovation must be featured to ramp up social safety net” (Insight, Feb. 3): Rey Faustino gets it half right. He is very correct in predicting large-scale displacement of workers in coming years. But advocating using the same technology to make it easier for those displaced to get on the dole is 180 degrees wrong. Producing more with fewer workers is the definition of increased productivity. The answer is to fairly distribute the fruits of that increase. Raise wages to the point that one can make a decent living on fewer hours of work and let everyone have more leisure time while continuing to enjoy the dignity of self-support. Gradually ramp down the hours of full-time work. Increase vacation time to the four to six weeks a year common in the rest of the developed world. And make preparing people for rewarding use of that leisure time an integral part of the education system.

Regarding “U.S.-China cyberspace fight squeezes our allies” (Editorial, Feb. 3): In the last paragraph about Huawei and telecommunications security, I wonder if you have forgotten Edward Snowden and the U.S. surveillance programs that he exposed. The rest of the world may still trust the U.S. better than China, but I doubt they’ll give much weight to arguments about “independence from government interference.”

Mike Kupfer, San Carlos

Excited for dances

Concerning “Females take pride in lion dance strides” (Page 1, Feb. 4): I’m glad to learn that more young women will be participating in lion dances during the Chinese Lunar New Year. Lionesses fiercely protect their young and are the primary hunters of their pride. Our strength and stamina should not be underestimated. To all Chronicle readers — male, female and gender neutral — I say gung hay fat choy!

Jenny Wong, Daly City

Reduce the schools

Regarding “Abundant needs, inadequate funds” (Open Forum, Feb. 4): Oakland Unified School District has been plagued with many problems for decades. In 2003, the state stepped in to take control for an extended period — and is facing increasing financial challenges. Aimee Eng and Jody London, president and vice president of the Oakland Board of Education, stated emphatically in their Chronicle Open Forum piece that what has led to the current state of affairs is “We have too many schools and too few kids.” This has been understood well since former Superintendent Tony Smith publicized it and pushed for a reduction of schools a few years ago. That proved unpopular with parents, protests resulted, and the board failed to support Superintendent Smith.

Eng and London cite more state funding as the essential cure for the district’s financial woes without addressing the core issue. While the state should better fund education, it should not allocate more to Oakland without its school board taking effective actions to reduce the number of schools.

Jerry Barclay, Oakland

Dangerous sport

So President Trump wouldn’t want his youngest son, Barron, to play football because he thinks it’s a dangerous sport? Well, football is even more dangerous if you choose to take a knee during the playing of our national anthem, since you’ll then be scorned and ridiculed (by people like the president), and unable to continue playing the game professionally. Just ask Colin Kaepernick.

Donna Delvecchio, Santa Clara

Empower workers

Regarding “To restore workers’ rights, revive industrial democracy” (Insight, Feb. 3): If candidates for the 2020 presidential election truly want to talk about empowering workers, they will advocate for more of them to organize into labor unions that can represent their interests through collective bargaining; prioritize increasing the minimum wage, which has remained unchanged for nearly one decade; and call for ending tax breaks to corporations and the country’s wealthiest citizens, as well as denounce trickle-down economics for what it really is — a lie.

Gregory Smithson, San Carlos

No hats at the table

Regarding “Bad manners” (Letters, Feb. 4): Hooray and thanks to the author for his comment about the Make America Great Again hat ban at the restaurant. Nobody with a sprinkling of good manners wears a hat to the table.